Sharing Frozen Kisses
by Canadienne Renegade
Summary: Ginny is fed up with fighting the part of her that Tom brought about. To finally accept herself - dark and light - she allies Draco Malfoy in effort to learn the Dark Arts and help Harry defeat Voldemort. Will her goals remain the same at the end? tg, dg
1. Beautiful Stranger

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A/N: Hi hi all! This is my first attempt at a fic in the Harry Potter world, and it's going to be a D/G one, folks. This is my 2nd fanfic, and I'm fourteen, so have some tolerance for whatever mistakes I might make. Tell me, though, so I can save all your criticism for future reference. ^-^ R&R, and enjoy!

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A/N Updated: Hey, it's now July 22, 2003. I originally published this in March, but after reading OotP, I decided to stay with the canon. I don't really care either way, but I loved some of the ideas that Rowling put into word in the book. So, if you've already read this chapter before, you don't need to skim through it again. All I did was a write a bit about Ginny's fourth year at Hogwarts, removed mentions of the dead person, and fixed some ages. However, do look at the bottom a/n, for I wrote about what the Lost Forest was. Which I forgot to do before. 

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Warning: OotP spoilers! I have revised this story to stay with the current canon!

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Disclaimer: Alright, let's make this clear – I don't own the Harry Potter World or any of its inhabitants, the 'wizarding' world, Hogwarts, or any other characters. They all belong to JK Rowling and Warner Brothers – and all credit goes to Rowling. The only things I have rights over is the plot. (And most of the little poems here and there unless I say otherwise.) Don't sue, I'm just a really broke young teen whose money goes 'lost'. -_-;;;

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Title: Sharing Frozen Kisses

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Author: Moi, Canadienne Renegade.

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Rating: PG for cursing, it will go up higher soon for death, and violence. This fic _might_ have character death in the future, so be warned.

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Genre: Well, lots of action and adventure, some angst and romance as the side dish. ^_~ Drama too, and possibly some supernatural (what isn't in the HP universe,) later on. 

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Characters: Ginny, Draco, Tom Riddle, Voldemort, Ron, Hermione, Harry (the latter three aren't THAT huge until later on in the fic)

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Summary:

Love has the weirdest ways... Ginny realises she is in love with the most unlikely man - Riddle – and to gain his love, she will use any means available. Even if that means befriending Draco Malfoy and learning the Dark Arts...

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Btw: Many thanks to Elentari for helping out with the summary… ah, I feel bad, I gave her the hard job…yes, the summary is written by her… and she kept on asking me whether or not I had posted this fic… so, due to her encouraging, it's up here… thankie darling! ^-^

@à --------------------------------------------------------------à @ß -------------------------------------------------------------------ß @

"Beautiful Stranger", Madonna

  
Haven't we met  
You're some kind of beautiful stranger  
You could be good for me  
I've had the taste for danger  
  
If I'm smart then I'll run away  
But I'm not so I guess I'll stay  
Heaven forbid  
I'll take my chance on a beautiful stranger  
  
I looked into your eyes  
And my world came tumbling down  
You're the devil in disguise  
That's why I'm singing this song  
  
To know you is to love you  
You're everywhere I go  
And everybody knows  
  
To love you is to be part of you  
I've paid for you with tears  
And swallowed all my pride  
  
Da-da-da-dum da-dum da-dum da da da-da dum  
Beautiful stranger  
Da-da-da-dum da-dum da-dum da da da-da dum  
Beautiful stranger  
  
If I'm smart then I'll run away  
But I'm not so I guess I'll stay  
Haven't you heard   
I fell in love with a beautiful stranger  
  
I looked into your face  
My heart was dancing all over the place  
I'd like to change my point of view  
If I could just forget about you  
  
I looked into your eyes  
And my world came tumbling down  
You're the devil in disguise  
That's why I'm singing this song to you  
  
I've paid for you with tears  
And swallowed all my pride

@à ---------------------------------------------------------------à @ß -----------------------------------------------------------------ß @

__

'Virginie,' Tom wrote. _'You look beautiful.'_

__

'But you can't even see me,' Ginny protested, scribbling, though a light blush was evident on her cheeks. 

__

'I don't need to see you to know you're beautiful, Virginie.' She loved the way he wrote her name, so elegant, so sleek, and so sophisticated. When she had first started writing to him, she told him her name was Virginia. He started calling her Virginie, and when she complained, he had told her it was nonsense, French was a beautiful language, created for beautiful women. She hadn't said no to anything he wrote since. 

__

'I want you to have fun at the ball tonight, Virginie.' Tom began. _'You don't need to be with Harry to have fun. Go with Neville – I'm sure you'll have a good time,'_

__

'Thanks,' she wrote, a smile creeping upon her small, delicately boned face. _'I needed that.'_

__

'That's what I'm here for.'

@----~*~----@

That was the first time she had dreamt of him. On the eve of the Yule Ball. 

The nights before the Yule Ball, she had been anxious, craving Harry's attention. But he never even glanced her away; let alone ask her. Finally when she lost hope, Neville had asked her. She agreed readily, hoping that Harry would see her, looking radiant, and would ask her to dance.

__

'Look radiant,' she snorted. She had owled her mother, begging her for money for a brand new dress. Instead, her mother wrote back:

__

Dearest Gin,

Ginny darling, I know it's your first ball, but at out of all morality honey, It wouldn't be fair if I'd given you something new; when it was Ron's first as well. You know your father works hard, trying to earn the best he can so your lives can be a little bit easier. It doesn't help with Lucius around, either. Please try to be respectful of your fathers' effort; he does best to do what he can, and do it well.

Love,

Your Mother, Molly Weasely. 

So, she had gone to the ball alright – looking pitiful and thin. Her mother had sent her a package only a few days later, containing a rough hand-me-down dress robe for the ball. 

And Harry **did** look at her. With pity. She looked miserable, and she knew it – then he came waltzing along, with Parvati in tow, offering her a small, sympathetic smile. 

She hated it. She hated the way people looked at her hair first; and from then on treating her with commiseration. No one dared ever mention money in front of her, oh no, cute little Ginny's feelings would be hurt. 

And of course, other things made her night terrible. Her feet had swollen up the next day; like someone had cast the Enlargement charm on them. When in fact, it was almost as bad - Neville didn't know how to bloody dance! Stepping on her feet left and right - it had been hell!  
  
Her night only got worse as it wore on. When she finally couldn't take it all, she excused herself, and ran away from it all - to the nearest empty classroom.  
  
Sitting on top of an empty desk, she bawled for an hour on end.  
  
And that went against the first thing Tom had taught her - she gave into her weakness. He told her, repeatedly, giving into your weakness was the last thing you wanted to do. If he were still alive, she knew he would've been disappointed.  
  
Then. As she was blew her nose into her tissue, her eyes all red and swollen, her nose stuffy, and her hair a mess, Malfoy had walked in. He took one look at her, then immediately turned around.  
  
Only to return 5 minutes later with all his Slytherin friends. They shoved her, laughed at her, making her fall.  
  
'I'm surprised - Potter wasn't as stupid as going to the ball as you!'  
  
'Yeah,' someone had agreed. 'You'd be the last resort date!'  
  
'Nice robes!' they jeered at her.  
  
'Where'd you get that piece of shit? Hand me downs from the last millennium?'  
  
On and on they went, relentlessly, casting spells her way, tripping charms, body binds, itching hexes, everything. She was so stupid; forgetting her wand in her cloak - which was in the dormitory.  
  
That would be the last time anyone made a fool out of her; she vowed to herself. From then on, she 'perfected' the art of being ignored. Being as scarce as possible, small and as invisible as she could've been without an Invisibility Cloak.  


Of course, her next year, her 4th, had been _much_ better. It was kind of bad at first – they had to spend their summer in the Black House. It wasn't exactly what you'd call a vacationing home. However, it was exciting to be staying at the HQ of the Order of the Phoenix. And, in the end, it was even sort of fun.

So, by the time school had begun, she had thought that things were looking up. She was mistaken. Umbridge happened. That stupid woman and her _'hem, hem'_. When she came, _everything_ came crashing down. She tried suppress anything the students or Dumbledore an the staff did. 

Hermione, fed up, came up with the brilliant idea of the Defense Association a.k.a. Dumbledore's Army. It was an absolutely _smashing_ idea. There, the most unlikely people had been able to struggle to the top and shine for what they were truly capable of. Take, for example, herself, Neville, the Creevey brothers, and even snobby Zacharias Smith. Even timid Hannah Abbot and oddball Luna Lovegood.

She had even fought in the battle of the year – at the Department of Mysteries. Her fellow comrades were Neville, Luna, Harry, Ron & Hermione. She had proven herself, and most people could recognize her and her name for her fighting.

She owed it to Harry. He was a wonderful teacher; but he irritated her to no end. He always got sulky about Voldemort sort-of-possesing him. And when she tried to make him feel better about it, he brushed her off constantly. Then he would grow silent when he realized that she had been possessed by the Dark Lord too, but to an even worse degree. They always underestimated her, and didn't appreciate her enough. 

  
Ever since that first time, she had dreamt of writing to Tom almost every other night. No matter how much she feared & loathed him. She detested him so much - and yet, in her dreams, he pushed her along, gave her helpful advice; he was the one wall that Ginny could lean upon without worrying that it'd crumble and fall. All the whilst cursing herself for being lured into his 'trap' all over again.  


"You sure you're alright honey?" a voice woke her out of her reverie.

And without thinking properly, she immediately replied, smiling, "Don't worry about me, Tom. I'm fine," 

Everything around her went silent.

__

'Shit, shit, shit!' she swore to herself. 

She straightened in her seat, and looked her mother in the eye.

She was growing old, Ginny noticed with a sad smile. She was still the plump loving woman with the wicked temper – but she got sick much more often, and her hearts' condition was rapidly deteriorating. Molly's hair was thin now, sometimes locks would just fall out. She held her hair up in a small, pitiful-looking bun.

"Sorry mum," Ginny began. "I was just thinking about a dream I had last night –" she noticed with a grim smile that a horrified look passed over her mum's features. "Tom Mangarie – he's from Hufflepuff – had asked me the same question." All the tension visibly went out of her mother's system; she sagged in relief.

Ron grinned, lifting a hand up to remove the stray hair. "Ah, thinking about a boy now are we, dear sister?" He was as dangly as ever, though he had 'filled out' more. Now 5'11, he towered over Harry and Hermione. 

She rolled her eyes. "Shut UP Ron! He's like two years younger than me!"

"Two years younger than you, eh?" Fred smirked, prancing into the kitchen with George. 

"You little petifile!" George cried in mock horror. Over the summer George and Fred had changed, and most of Fred's freckles had paled, where as George's only got brighter. Fred was 6'3, very long and slender. Ron always picked on Fred; saying how he could easily pass as a female model. George on the other hand, was 6'1, and had an extremely athletic build, closely resembling Charlie. The boys had bought a flat near their shop, but they still spent half their time at The Burrow (Mum thought the flat was their own private laboratory that she couldn't barge into).

"Morning everyone!" Arthur Weasely yelled over all the bickering. "We're picking up Harry today aren't we Molly?" he inquired, grinning. "I'm absolutely fascinated by this wonderful invention Muggles have, the Meckrowave! Been studying it recently. Thought I'd ask him about it." 

Silently, Ginny gritted her teeth. Her father was getting increasingly annoying because of his love for Muggles. When he wasn't working or on duty for the Order of the Phoenix, he was messing around with Muggle contraptions. Never bothered with his children. 

He was pretty much the same, except that due to all the chaos in the Ministry, he was always under a ton of stress, and was now bald. Otherwise, he was still skinny, and still 5'10. 

He walked over to Molly, and gave her a small peck on the cheek. "We're going to meet him at the London train station at 3, honey." She replied.

"Gin dear, finish your breakfast. Don't waste your food," her mother ordered.

"Yes mother," she sighed resignedly, still prodding the lump of hash brown with her fork.

"After you're done honey, take a shower and get ready. I've decided on giving Harry a birthday party this year. Poor boy, he's never had a proper one. Anyway, we'll go shopping in Diagon Alley for his birthday presents. Ron, Fred, George darling, give me your list of what you want to give him. Me and Ginny'll buy it for you." 

Ginny bit back a grimace and smiled cheerfully. "Great, mum! I've saved up some money, so I was hoping I could buy a new dress robe."

Molly sighed. She looked over at Ginny while mixing some cake batter. "Are you sure you want to waste your money on that? You know, you could buy something more useful. Maybe a better cauldron."

Ginny groaned. "_Mu-um._ I've been saving for three years now! I'm going to buy a new dress robe or two, and then I'll still have enough money left over to buy a new broomstick." Her last broomstick, the _Comet_, had been horrible. It jerked violently in midair, and, well, it just wasn't worth riding, really.

Ron immediately perked up more. '_Is that even possible?'_ Ginny wondered idly. "I'll take you to Quality Quidditch, Gin! There are some excellent brooms out right now. For racing, and for Quidditch. I also heard that there are some out for travel, too. But you won't be needing those. What kind are you looking for?"

Ginny pondered that for a second. "A sort of skinny broom. Yeah, I guess a racing one would be good."

Ron jumped up from his seat and dashed up the stairs. "I've got a couple of catalogues! Here, I'll go find them and after you're ready I can help you choose one," he yelled over his shoulder.

Five sets of rolling eyes were his only response. 

"Well," Arthur began. "I've got to go anyway. Short meeting at the Ministry. I'll be back in time to pick Harry up. Bye!" With a twist of his wand, and a soft _pop_, he was gone.

Pushing back her chair, Ginny got up. "I'm stuffed. I can't eat any more. I think I'll go get ready now, mum." 

Her mother looked back at her worriedly, her brow creasing. "You haven't been yourself lately, Gin. You aren't eating much either. Is there anything wrong darling?"

Ginny smiled thinly. "Oh, don't worry, I'm fine. It's just.. I've been having some trouble sleeping lately."

Her mother nodded understandingly. "Oh, you poor dear. I'll brew you up a Sleeping Potion after we get back." Molly turned around and went back to her cake.

__

That's it? Ginny thought, eyes narrowed. _You're that easily convinced that I'm fine? _

__

You don't think it could be anything else? You're a mother! You're supposed to know if there's something wrong with your kids! 

Can't you tell that something's wrong? She screamed silently.

You think I'm fine? Do I LOOK fine?

Her mother realized that she was still there, and turned around with a quizzical look on her face. "Is there anything else?" 

Ginny sighed and shook her head. Resignedly, she turned and walked up the stairs. 

Her mother's voice drifter up to her through all the din of cooking. "Put some make-up on dear. You're looking rather pale."

Ginny snorted sulkily and stomped towards her room.

@----~*~----@

"What's eating her?" George wondered aloud in response to Ginny's contemptuous snort.

Seated beside him & eating an apple, Fred shrugged. "She _has_ been looking rather down lately," he agreed.

Their mother shook her head vigorously. "Don't worry boys, there's nothing wrong with her. Probably only girl problems and lack of sleep. Besides, if there was anything wrong, she would have surely come to me by now."

The words were supposed to sound reassuring, but they all wondered the same thing morosely – what if something _was_ wrong and she had purposely not come to them?

@----~*~----@

Upstairs, a furious Ginny quietly shut the door after hearing the short conversation. 

__

They don't think highly of me, she thought acidly. _By the end of this year, everyone will respect me. Think of me highly. Fear me,_ she vowed to herself, _fear me like they did Tom._

@----~*~----@

Draco stifled a yawn as he looked out the window. _Boring,_ he thought to himself.

"This year Draco, I expect _much_ more of you! You cannot just sit idly by and not choose any side! Our Lord grows impatient! Are you listening to me boy? Look at me! Narcissa! What kind of child have you raised! He is not paying attention to me! NARCISSA! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?"

Rather painfully, Draco resisted the urge to laugh at his father's antics.

His mother, Narcissa, replied offhandedly, "Of course I'm listening to you. Why wouldn't I? Now come along, Lucius dear, I had a shopping trip planned out for us…" getting up from her stitch work, she grabbed her husband's arm and led him out the door, her grinning at the victory, and him sulking at yet another Extremely Boring Shopping Expedition. 

Draco just rolled his eyes and continued staring out the window. This room - his mother's sewing room – was at the back of the Malfoy Manor, so it overlooked the gigantic Quidditch field. The sky was overcast and dreary, and the soft sound of raindrops pit-patted against the window pane. The rain made its way down to the grass, causing it to glisten oddly in the pale grey light of the clouds. 

His eyes scanned further into the horizon. The Lost Forest (1) had decided to come back, and all sorts of odd 'things' were glimpsed now and then. Even though he couldn't see it, he knew, almost exactly in the heart of the forest would be a perfectly elliptical lake, tiny ripples spreading across the surface as the many drops hit it.

He sighed resignedly, wishing he was anywhere but here.

Not only was the day bad with his Father yelling at him about not being a Death Eater, but he had to join his parents in… _shopping_!

He dreaded it. Sure, they had impeccable taste and everything, but still, they were his parents! Draco scrunched his nose distastefully. Who would want to be seen shopping with their parents in their SIXTH year? He was sixteen for crying out loud! 

Another sigh escaped his cold lips.

Draco was _bored._ He was _so bored._

Nothing got to him anymore. His father yelled at him, cursed him, it didn't matter anymore. His mother sent him on guilt trips – he simply didn't _care._

Besides, Draco was no fool. He knew Voldemort would fall eventually, and his father along with him. He shuddered. There was no way he would be locked up in some prison. 

A scowl graced his face. Obviously, he wouldn't even think about joining Dumbledore's ranks. They were… _so good_. He shook his head. Definitely bad for a Malfoy's reputation. That's why Voldemort hadn't done anything drastic towards Draco, he knew that Draco would rather die a thousand deaths than ally himself with a muggle lover.

However, he thought with a raised eyebrow. Being on the good side did have its advantages. If he 'saved' them all he would be looked upon as a hero. Like Potter. He grimaced. He wasn't envious of Potter – Draco _knew_ he had much more than Potter ever could dream to have. But still if he were a hero, like Potter – a lot of girls would agree to sleeping with him, he thought with a sneer. He would probably even be able to get that Mudblood Granger into bed with him.

Draco frowned. _On second thought, I'll leave the 'hero' business to Potter and his crew. Disgusting._ He snorted. He couldn't even imagine Granger naked. Pity, too. 

His father was a stupid man. There were so many gorgeous Muggles, and he couldn't even bear laying eyes on them because of Lucius – the belief that Muggles were beneath him was so far embedded into him he doubted he could ever even touch a Muggle without throwing up. 

He groaned. It sucked. The only 'females' that he was accepted to look at were no females at all – Parkinson, Bullstrode, and others of their sort. Zabini was pretty cute – but she was dating that Bastix kid – a year younger than them too, Draco thought disgustedly. 

Not that he couldn't have Zabini if he wanted of course. He looked down at his body draped over the couch. He was probably one of the best-looking of the year. Of course, there was room to improve, but it wasn't as if he was going to hit on anyone older than him. He was lean and wiry – all those Quidditch practices had paid off, thank god. Quite tall for his age too. Only about an inch or so shorter than that annoying Weasely. Taller than Potter though, Draco recognized, with a proud lift of his chin. The only thing he didn't like about himself was his face. He knew it would change more, but, well, it was rather feminine. Finely chiseled nose, a delicate mouth, arched & thin eyebrows; hell, he looked like his mother. He had all her facial features, but his father's hair and eyes. He was grateful for his father's eyes, though. They had confused many – they were impenetrable. Silvery, with a delicate tint of green. _I look like the model Slytherin,_ he thought amusedly. Tall, proud, with just the right colors - silver and green. 

Voldemort admired him, he knew. He had the capabilities of being a star Death Eater – one that would have made Salazar Slytherin himself proud. He had mastered all the Unforgivables in his third year – and was much more calm and well-mannered. He knew better than to let those below him get the better of him. 

He was smart, too. _Not that anyone bothered to notice,_ he thought disgustedly. All that caught Lucius's eyes was that Granger was still ahead of him. He was close, _so close._ Only about, what, 2% behind her? But no, that wasn't good enough. 

Things like that used to bug him _so much_. Never displeasing his father – oh _no_ that would be.. 'bad'. He would've done anything for his father. He would've even died for him. He wanted to _be_ his father, even. Now, he couldn't care less what happened to him.

He didn't hate his parents; he just didn't care for them either.

__

I am evil, Draco supposed. Evil was not Voldemort – 'Voldie' would be upset if one his loyal followers were killed. To Draco, true Evil was not caring – someone dies, what the hell, who cares. Love? It wasn't a necessity. To love was to be weak. 

__

I am no weakling, he thought arrogantly.

"Draco! Are you daydreaming again? How many times I have told you, we _cannot_ be late for shopping!" Narcissa's enraged voice floated down to him.

He sighed, and got up languidly. "Coming mother," 

He snorted. So much for not being a weakling. 

@(--------------------------------------------------------------(@(-------------------------------------------------------------------(@

A/N II: Well. Hmm. That was odd. I was reading another fic as I was writing Draco's part, so I really had no idea what I was writing. until I read it over. Good god. it's.. odd. Lucius is OOC.. now now, don't freak out people. My p.o.v. is that Ginny would be furious. I just don't see her that innocent after her encounter with Tom Riddle. And Draco - well, I think Lucius would've done too good a job of raising him - so I see him more on the rebel side. I mean, he's a Malfoy, and he is immensely proud of his heritage - but he is also immensely proud of himself, as well. He has nothing really firm to hold on to - that's why he's got such an 'uncaring' attitude. that's where our darling Ginny comes in. Mwahaha! But seriously guys, notice the genre - NO ROMANCE - I mean, I WILL have romance obviously, but don't expect it for quite a while. The only thing I can say is Ginny leaves - expect a little bit of romance right before that, and quite a few parts where the 'love' is one-sided. Can't tell you anymore or else I'll give away too much. ^-^  
  
Hmm.. what else. well, I've got a lot planned for this story, but I'm the type of girl to write blindly and then make the plot WAY too big. So be patient, I will try to tie up any loose ends I might create.  
  
And.. It took me over a MONTH to write this chapter alone.. *snort* . I really didn't want to write a Harry Potter fic in the first place, but I wrote one for my friends, and one of them convinced me to post SOMETHING Harry potterish up. So, the fic might be slow going, because I have a tendency to write too fast - and because of that, I write slowly. Very slowly. I'll try a two-weekly update if people are interested, though. ^-^  


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(1) Last thing. The Lost Forest - It's basically what it sounds like – a wandering forest. It goes around the world and picks odd creatures from all over the place. It originally didn't move, and belonged to the Malfoys, but 'someone' cursed them, and now it just leaves all of a sudden. Let's say it has a personality and gets bored. :D

  
I'll stop babbling now, and let you go to your business. Like, oh, I dunno, reviewing.. :D .. *hint hint* .. Hahahaha. well, that's all for tonight darlings..  
  
Toodles!  
  
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V Press that review thang, baby! 

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	2. Confessions

**A/N**: 2-Weekly update. *snort* Like that's every gonna happen. Haha. I lied. It's been _months. So terribly sorry! The things I had to endure all this time: lack of internet, grounding, lack of computers, grounding, and finally, pure laziness. I humbly apologize for my.. er.. lateness. However, if I get reviews, I will try to update in a much more timely manner. Hehe. **ß even way after that: Oh man. That was months ago! I'm in gr. 9 now!**_

**Warning**: OotP spoilers! I have revised this story to stay with the current canon!

**Disclaimer: **Alright, let's make this clear - I don't own the Harry Potter World or any of its inhabitants, the 'wizarding' world, Hogwarts, or any other characters. They all belong to JK Rowling and Warner Brothers - and all credit goes to Rowling. The only things I have rights over is the plot. (And most of the little poems here and there unless I say otherwise.) Don't sue, I'm just a really broke young teen whose money goes 'lost'. -_-;;;

**Title: **Sharing Frozen Kisses

**Author: **Moi, Under Pressure 2003. I changed my pen name like a million times in between. 

**Rating: **PG for cursing, it will go up higher soon for death, and violence. This fic _might have character death in the future, so be warned._

**Genre:** Well, lots of action and adventure, some angst and romance as the side dish. ^_~ Drama too, and possibly some supernatural (what isn't in the HP universe,) later on. Not to mention Tragedy.

**Characters: **Ginny, Draco, Tom Riddle/Voldemort, Ron, Hermione, Harry (the latter three aren't THAT huge until later on in the fic)

**Summary: **Love has the weirdest ways... Ginny realises she is in love with the most unlikely man - Riddle - and to gain his love, she will use any means available. Even if that means befriending Draco Malfoy and learning the Dark Arts...

**Btw**: Many thanks to Elentari for helping out with the summary... ah, I feel bad, I gave her the hard job...yes, the summary is written by her... and she kept on asking me whether or not I had posted this fic... so, due to her encouraging, it's up here... thankie darling! ^-^

@à---------------------------------------------à@ß-----------------------------------------------ß@

**"My Confession", Nick Carter**

Written By Nick Carter/G. Clark/M. Brammer

I'm just trying to figure out what's wrong with your head

Every time I look around you're somewhere else instead

I wanna ask you why but every time I try, you cry

And I want you to know when you're floating in space 

And I want you to know if you ever come back down

And I need you to know

I wanna breathe you

I wanna feel you near

This is my confession

I wanna see what you see when cry those tears

Give me just a second, what am I to do?

Maybe it's obsession

But this is my confession 

I confess, every time I come around

Something's always got you down

And I don't understand why

And if you wanna tell me

I'll be the angel on your shoulder, baby

I'll be the man that you confide in

But I can't seem to 

Get you out of that place

And everything you do is just

Erasing the pain (and that's not right)

Hatred inside, I can't ask why

And I want you to know when you're floating in space

And I want you to know if you ever come back down

And I need you to know

I wanna breathe you

I wanna feel you near

This is my confession

I wanna see what you see when cry those tears

Give me just a second, what am I to do?

Maybe it's obsession

But this is my confession

And I want you to know when you're floating in space 

And I want you to know if you ever come back down

If you ever come back down...

I wanna breathe you

I wanna feel you near

This is my confession (This is my confession)

I wanna see what you see when cry those tears

This is my confession (gimme just a second)

I wanna breathe you, I wanna feel you near

Maybe it's obsession

This is my confession

I wanna see what you see when you cry those tears, yeah yeah

This is my confession...this is my confession

@à---------------------------------------------à@ß-----------------------------------------------ß@

Ginny immediately raised a hand to block out the bright sunlight, and stepped out of the sooty fireplace.

Not a moment too soon - Fred, George, and Ron all tumbled in after her.

Looking at them distastefully she used her hands to smooth down her cloak and brush off all the ashes.

"I don't like their new renovations," Fred whined, gracefully leaping to his feet.

George snorted. "Why, the soot will soil your hair?" Fred sniffed and went over to their mother, who had come out before them.

Over the summer, there had been a sudden increase of wizards coming to Diagon Alley, and one too many fireplaces had been plugged up with dozens of people. So, the MoM had been forced to take the blank walls at the head of Diagon Alley and convert them into quite a few fireplaces. Now, instead of coming out of stores all over the place, it had been made sure that a person at a time came out these fireplaces - the Valve Fire Places. They were magically inspected all the time, to make sure that if too many people were coming in through the same fireplace, they would be whisked away to another one.

Ron was still on the floor, so Ginny bent down and lend him a hand. He shot her a grateful smile and clambered up to his feet. 

Ginny laughed. "Daydreaming again?"

Brown eyes narrowed, he studied her hard. "No, just thinking,"

Shrugging, she walked away and called over her shoulder, "Hurry up Ron, Mum's waiting!"

Ginny brought her hood down and pushed her way through the bustling streets. 

"Ginny! Hey, Ginny! Over here!" She heard a familiar voice call.

Puzzled, she stopped. Before she could even make a move to locate the owner of the voice, a sudden weight descended upon her back. 

Strong, thick arms wrapped themselves around her neck. She looked back, and was met by the broad grinning face of Colin Creevey. 

She smiled. "Hi, Colin. I thought you'd be in Germany still,"

Colin pouted. "You mean you're not happy to see me? Oh, Four Founders, woe has befallen me!"

Rolling her eyes, she returned his embrace. "I'm fine, thanks. And you?"

He laughed. "Always straight to the point. I'm doing well. So, how about you and me buy our supplies together now?"

Ginny brightened. "That'd be great! Just a sec, let me ask Mum," He nodded, and she ran towards her mother, dodging around people.

"Mum!" She yelled. "Mum! Over here!"

Finally spotting her mom talking to Hannah Abbot's mother, she stopped.

Molly turned around. "There you are Ginny! Wandering off already?"

She rolled her eyes in return. "I just saw Colin, he asked if I could go shopping with him."

Her mother pondered that for a while, then agreed. "Alright Gin. Just remember to be home by 2 so you can freshen up, and then we'll head to the train station then."

((A/N: Let's say it's about 9:30 right then))

She ran back to Colin, and linked her arm with his, grinning. "So, where shall we go first?"

Colin gave her a mock bow, and replied, "Well, my lady, I was thinking about escorting thou to the Quidditch shop?" 

In the middle of their 3rd year, Colin had decided to try out for Chaser in his 4th. And failed. So, he decided 5th year, 2nd try, would be the charm. He was slowly growing out of his awkward skinny body, and had decided to push the process along further by working out regularly. He had bugged Ginny for weeks about getting ready to try for Chaser along with him too this year (Seeker would now be Harry's as Ginny quit. And the fact that Harry was better). Three Chaser positions were open, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie's, so the two of them decided to go for it.) 

She reluctantly agreed, and he woke her up practically every morn at 5 so they had the field to themselves (When no teams were practicing). She had gotten stronger, she'd noticed, as had Colin. She was 5'5", and Colin was about 5'9". He was a sturdy boy, rather thick in the body parts - he ran quite a bit every morning, so he was a rather imposing figure - sort of 'macho'. Before school was over last year, he had made her promise that she'd save up some money so they could buy the same new brooms, and that she'd practice their techniques everyday. And practice she had. It seemed that she had gotten quite a few of Charlie's traits. She was really good with the broom, as she was with handling dragons. (She had found that one out when she visited Charlie over the summer.) He was quite pleased with that. 

However, she and Colin had decided to keep their training a secret, so no one really knew that they were quite brilliant players. Or that were going participate in the try-outs. Except for Harry, who she said to last year that she was more interested in Chaser rather than Seeker positions.

She readily agreed. "I was thinking about getting a pair of racing brooms, Col. It'd help us with the technique's we've made."

He pondered that as they made their way down the crowded avenue. "I suppose you're right. Yes, a racing one would be good. That way it'd be much easier to shift around."

"Exactly. I was talking to Ron earlier about brooms - I just told him I wanted a fast broom that'd be easy to maneuver. He said the Thestral 850 is really easy to move, and the Firebolt Upgraded is very fast. He also mentioned another broom, but said it was rather pricey. The Granian 250 - it's just new on the market, and apparently, it has the horsepower of 250 Granians - and that it's quite smooth in flight."

Colin's eyes brightened. "Ooh! I've heard about the Granian. Let's take that one!" He paused, smiling, then added as an afterthought. "You've saved up enough, though?"

Ginny returned his smile. "Yeah, actually, I have." 

"Good," he said.

That's what she loved about Colin. He never made an issue of the fact that his family was better of then her's. (Even if it was a Muggle family) To him, her financial situation was simply a fact - not a bad fact, nor a good one - he knew, and he didn't care. He wouldn't get embarrassed about asking her buy thing or about money. She supposed it was simply his naiveté, but it worked for her. And him. So she could be herself around him without worrying. Say anything to him. 

"Hi Collin! Hi Ginny!" a voice shouted over the din. Searching for the speaker, they saw Seamus waving frantically at them, from up about a block ahead.

Ginny laughed, and returned the wave. They ran over to him, and he immediately began babbling about the new brooms.

"Have you _seen_ the Granian? Lord, it's a beauty! You think Harry'll get it? I mean, he has been buying the latest brooms, right? I've been bugging my dad to let me buy it, but he wants to buy me the Firebolt Upgraded. I'm going to try out for beater this year, and Dean's thinking about going for it, too. What about you Colin?"

Ginny scowled; of course Seamus would never think that little Ginny was a Quidditch player (Even if she wasn't the best Seeker). Colin shot her a nervous sidelong glance, and replied cheerfully (albeit a bit _too cheerfully), "Naw, mate. I've got enough on my hands already -"_

Seamus's eyes lit up. "Right! Of course! I heard about you two being prefects this year. Congrats Gin, Colin!"

A reluctant smile tugged at Ginny's face. "Thanks," she replied softly. "And I heard you're prefect for your year too, along with Hermione." She grinned playfully at him. Ron too was a prefect - his and Seamus's scores were neck to neck, so they had both been allowed to prefects.

Seamus went pink, and embarrassedly waved away the compliment. "It was Hermione's doing really, she put in a good word in for me."

Colin looked at Ginny knowingly. "Whatever, you're ruddy brilliant! You deserve it more than anyone I know!"

Seamus returned a smile, and glanced at his watch. "Anyway guys, I have to run, told Dean I'd meet him for some late breakfast in about 10 minutes. Nice talking to you." He paused, and waved goodbye with a twinkle in his eye. "Now go have some fun, but nothing too naughty now..." He laughed and ran away as Colin tried to whack him on the head. 

When Seamus was out of sight, Colin turned to her, almost jumping with excitement. "Gin, why don't the soon-to-be-owners-of-the-Granian go buy themselves a pair of magnificent Granians!?!" Ginny laughed at him, and he tugged her, half running, half stumbling into Quality Quidditch. 

They wandered around for a bit, Ginny gazing, Colin slack-jawed, at all the goodies there. Then Colin pulled out his pouch of coins, and said, "Gin, go buy my Granian as well. I've got to run for a bit, say, how about you meet me at Florean's place for some ice cream in half an hour?"

She looked at him oddly, but shrugged nonetheless. "Sure," she said. Then added, grinning, "Two Granians coming right up!"

He smiled, pecked her on the cheek, and flounced out of the store. "Weird," she muttered to herself. To Colin, utter happiness would simply come in the form of buying the Granian itself. 

She pushed past all the guys and girls gawking at the displays, and went and grabbed two Granians for herself. As she made her way back to the counter, she saw jaws dropping all around her. She smirked to herself. She knew what they were saying/thinking; _Weasely buying a good broom? Weasely buying__ a broom? An expensive one? Somewhere from the corners of her vision she saw Millicent Bulstrode and Blaise Zabini gasp in surprise._

Even the salesman at the counter was surprised. He knew Weaselys; and it wasn't everyday they went out and bought state of the art brooms. Her lip curled, and she handed the man two pouches of money. He stared a bit at her, but nevertheless rang up the purchases and handed her two wrapped new Granians.

A few people from school continued gawking at her, and as she walked out the door, she saw Malfoy leaning against the wall. He had his usual stone cold mask on, but she could detect surprise in his eyes. 

"Weasel finally being able to afford something _new?" He said softly, his voice incredulous, and still she could sense the underlying malice in his voice._

"Maybe next you'll get a sense of humour! Wow! The world _must be coming to an end!" She smiled triumphantly at herself, proud of not getting upset at his comment._

He sneered. "With remarks like that, Weasel, you never know what kind of enemies you might make. Better watch your back,"

Ginny just shrugged and continued on her way. She was too happy with the Granians to care. 

@----~*~----@

Colin kissed Ginny on the cheek, and walked out, grinning contentedly. She was the best friend he could've ever asked for. Sometimes, she got touchy, but hell, she was a girl.

He couldn't remember exactly when they started hanging out; but he reckoned it was sometime during their first year. Their love for Harry Potter had brought them together. He suppressed a snicker. Ginny was in love with Harry - had the biggest crush you could imagine. And for Colin, Harry was his _hero_. 

Of course, they had grown out of their silly infatuation. For a while, they didn't really talk to each other, as remembering 'those times' were embarrassing for both of them. Colin had been the one to strike up a conversation with her for old time's sake, and they had been best of friends ever since. He was the only one who knew of Ginny's experience in the Chamber of Secrets. 

He liked to think she trusted him. Ron had been bugging him the last year or two, wondering what was up with Ginny. He wasn't the only one to notice Gin's odd behavior. A lot of the teachers approached Colin, him being her best friend and all. He simply shrugged it off. 

Not that he liked the change. It was sometime around the Yule Ball in their 3rd year that she had become odd and jumpy. She was unusually pale, and had become rather...snappy. And sometimes she'd get this faraway look in her eyes; and wouldn't respond if anyone asked her something. When he asked her what's wrong, she simply said bad dreams. She never lied to him, and he knew that, but he still thought there was more to it then just 'bad dreams'. 

During the summer, he'd grown even more worried. In all her letters she complained nonstop about her family. That was definitely out of character for her; she loved her family to bits. 

So, in order to get her mind off things, he decided to buy her a little present. That's why he left her at QQS to buy the Granians. (Even though it tore him to pieces, not being able to buy it himself)

He had come to Diagon Alley the previous day, and bought himself and Gin two pairs of specialty Quidditch gloves, an add-on handle for easy maneuverability, and a guide book to Quidditch (it had all sorts of things like comfort charms, what to eat before a game, how to play in a certain position in horrid weather, etc). And now, he had an appointment at Madame Malkin's robes store. Yesterday he had ordered a pair of top-of-the-line Quidditch robes, shoes, etc. Now he would go pick them up, and make any adjustments if needed. 

He practically skipped into the store, and beamed at Madame Malkin. 

"Hullo there, Colin! Come to pick up your stuff?" she questioned, head tilted.

"Yes, are they ready?"

She walked to the back of the store, and called over her shoulder, "Yes they are dear. I emblazoned them with some Gryffindor badges, and I ordered all of the other Gryffindor Quidditch outfit parts for you, too."

Colin grinned again. "That's great! So what's the cost of the extra stuff?"

Madame Malkin waved his comment off, and said to him, "Don't worry about that darling. Such a cutie like you deserves it free!"

He blushed. It was weird; she was _so old - and she was constantly making weird remarks like that._

Madame Malkin grinned and came back carrying all the clothes. "Don't worry sweetie, I wouldn't dare take you away from your fiery little redhead,"

Colin flushed even more. _'I'm starting to act like Ron, now,' he thought. "Ginny? What? No! Of course not! We're just best friends!" he insisted._

She nodded knowingly. "That's what they all say at first dearie, until it's too late." Colin rolled his eyes. Some women were too hopeless to deal with in cases like this.

She pinched his cheek and sighed fondly. He smiled back tentatively, and pulled out his money pouch as Madame Malkin rang up the purchases. She wrapped the stuff individually - frosted gold for Ginny, and scarlet for himself.

"Bye, Madam Malkin!" he waved as he walked towards the door, arms full of bags.

"Come back soon honey!"

@----~*~----@

Ginny sat in a booth at a shadowy corner of the parlor, stirring her cookies'n'crème sundae. She liked her ice cream mushy, but not all runny the way Hermione had it.

Yawning, she stretched her legs our under her. She glanced at her watch (muggle one) and saw that it read 10:50. She sighed. Colin was late by twenty minutes already.

Having nothing better to do, she let her eyes wander around the cheery place. It was very cutesy; the place had yellow wallpaper printed with daisies.

The tables were all set up so they were at least 6 feet away from the next one, making the two adjoining rooms look very spacious.

The tables themselves weren't tables at all - simply white tablecloths that hung mid air, as if laid upon an invisible platform. A vase of everlasting fresh-smelling daises adorned it. Once, when Ginny was much younger, curiousity had gotten the better of her so she had crept under the cloth to see what held it up. Nothing, she had found, to her childish delight. 

The chairs were high-backed and armed, worn yet comfortable wooden things. The floors too, were wooden.

At the back of the back room (the two rooms were only separated by a large arch-like opening) a large fireplace sat, (empty at the moment) and beside it was a large piano that played by itself, a rather perky little tune. On top of it three Kneazles were snoozing. Ginny smiled. Florean had a rather odd obsession with the cat-like creatures, claiming that one had saved his life from an 'evil' wizard once.

Many other kneazles too, about one and a half dozen, prowled between the desks, stopping only occasionally when a customer bent to pet them. Low purring could be heard all around.

Sunlight streamed into the front room from the enormous windows. Ginny watched the golden dust motes as they swayed lazily in the air. The room she was in, the back one, was lit by floating orbs which had some kind glowing insects crawling around in them, who seemed content to explore their (dull) surroundings.

"Can I get you anything else, Miss?" queried Florean's muggle Japanese wife, Hikari. She was a petite woman, large chocolatey brown almond-shaped eyes. They crinkled in the corners when she smiled. She had a river of jet-black hair flowing down to her waist, done in a slightly messy French braid. She loved the Wizarding World, exclaiming happily when she saw a new spell being performed.

Ginny smiled up at her. "Umm, a Pepsi would be fine. And can you get iced lemonade as well? I'm meeting a friend, and he loves those."

The tiny woman bowed a little, and retreated to the kitchen.

"Ginnnnnnnny! Where are you?" Colin voice floated from the door.

"At the back room, Col," she replied testily.

As he bounced over to her arms full of bags, his eyes immediately grew wide as he saw the two thin packages (brooms) leaning against the wall near the table. 

He flounced over to Ginny, dropped all the bags on the table, and immediately grabbed a broom and began tearing it open. 

Ginny suppressed a snort. She could practically see the sparkles in his eyes. When he began caressing it, she just looked at him, and he blushed.

"But it's so beautiful, Gin!" He defended himself.

She laughed. "Yeah, it is." Gesturing to the bags, she added, "What are all those for?"

He suddenly grew wide-eyed and innocent. "Nothing, really Gin. Nothing _you'd want anyway."_

She arched an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Why don't you let me decide that for myself?" Leaning over, she tried to grab the bags from him.

Smirking, Colin replied, "No, it's okay. I mean, I _know_ you're not into this."

Ginny grew exasperated. "Just let me see, you git!" He smirked at her silently. Ginny prepared to lunge at him, when he realized the look on her face. He shoved the bags in front of him, but alas, it was too late.

Pouting rather sulkily, he found himself on the floor while Ginny was rummaging through the bags. "Your welcome, Ginny. The frosted gold packages are yours. Maybe a hand would be nice in return?" He stretched his hand out, and she swatted it away.

"There," she said perkily. "A hand!" Muttering to himself, he clambered up and watched Ginny happily as she tore open the packages.

She turned to him wide-eyed. "Oh, Colin! These are... these are terrific!" She, yet again, lunged at him with a bone-crushing embrace.

He carefully plucked her off him and said carelessly, "Well, I mean, I _am called Prince Charming. What do you expect?" She rolled her eyes in return and plopped down in her chair. _

She babbled excitedly. "Now not only will we be the best players on the pitch, we'll be the best dressed too!"

Hikari came and offered Colin and Ice Tea and Ginny a Pepsi. He nodded his thanks, and Ginny paid the woman. 

"Oh this is going to be terrific! And we're prefects too!" Colin said dreamily.

"You think that Angelina's sister will go out with me this year?"

Gin smirked. "Keep dreaming. Mia's a total jock - more so then Angelina. You think she's gonna spare time for you?"

He pouted. "Well, you could be _nice about it!"_

Ginny amended. "Well, you _are a good player. Who knows."_

He grinned in return. "By the way Gin, when do you have to leave?"

Startled, she checked her watch. She had almost forgotten about the time.

"Oh, crap! It's 1 already. I've got to run, Col, can I see you later?"

He pouted. "_Fine._ Hey, how about you bring the gang over to my house on Wednesday? Harry too. We'll play Quidditch."

She smiled fondly at him. "Sure thing! And thanks for the gifts, love. See you in two days!" 

She quickly gathered her belongings, pecked Colin on the cheek and walked out of the café. 

"Still have an hour left," she muttered to herself. She quickly went to Gringotts and left her stuff at a check, and paid the fine. Pulling her new cloak over her head (making sure to cover the Gryffindor symbol) she walked towards Knockturn Alley.

@----~*~----@

Ron walked towards Florean's with Hermione. He had found her at the book shop. Just then, Colin walked out.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked surprisedly. 

Ron looked back at him quizzically. "We're not leaving until 2. Why?"

Hermione frowned. "Why, is Ginny not with you anymore?"

Colin shook his head. "No, she said she had to leave at one." 

Ron laughed. "Oh, we have to go home at 2 so we can pick up Harry. She probably went home early to primp for him."

"_Ron,_" Hermione groaned. 

Colin smiled doubtfully. "Alright, then. I'll see you two later, perhaps on Wednesday."

"Why Wednesday?" Hermione questioned. 

"Ginny'll fill you in," he replied, already walking away, brow still furrowed in confusion. 

@----~*~----@

Ginny quietly walked down the alley, making sure not to step on anything - or anyone. 

A man leered at her from a corner. "Need any help, little miss?" 

She looked at him coldly and kept walking.

"Aw, don't be like that!" He lurched up from his box and drunkenly make a grab for her arm. Ducking, she pushed him away. 

"A Gryffindor?" he asked with drunken wonder.

Looking back, she quickly ran out to a wider, busier street. 

She pulled out a map and looked at it. If she had heard correctly, Gregorovic, a popular German wand-maker (very popular with dark wizards), had recently moved into Knockturn.

"Looking for something?" a cool voice asked her. Ginny quickly turned around. The voice belonged to a smirking tall raven-haired woman. 

"Actually, yes," Gin replied smoothly. "Can you tell me where Gregorovic's new place is?"

The woman smiled quirkily. "_Finally someone who buys wands from an appropriate wand maker. Too many of you witchlings turning out to be straight out light wizards thanks to Ollivander," _

Ginny nodded. The woman guided her through the busy street, and finally said, "Here we are. The best wand-maker you'll find anywhere. I'll see you around Ginger,"

Turning around, Ginny began to say thanks, but to her surprise, the woman had vanished. She shuddered. Too many people here had ...odd qualities. 

As she went to push open the door, a thought suddenly struck her. How had the woman know she had red hair? Ginny made sure that you couldn't see any of it. 

"Coming in any time soon? I don't particularly _enjoy cold drafts, you know. I became sick for a reason." A heavily accented voice barked. _

She hurriedly stepped in and shut the door.

An old, surly man with a lot of facial hair glared at her from behind the counter. "Don't just stand there! You're obviously here for a wand, so tell me your wand hand!"

"Right," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"Come over here," he grumbled. Muttering to himself, he got up, grabbed a cane, and began walking towards a cabinet.

Taking out several ribbon measures, he carelessly tossed them towards her. Immediately, they began measuring her.

"Age?" he barked.

"15 this January,"

"Year five. Are you a stupid child or a smart one?"

She gaped at the man. "I'd like to think I'm smart. Not top of my class by chance,"

He snorted. She couldn't help but notice that his mustache flew up into his nose. He immediately sneezed. 

Ginny suppressed a smile. 

"Let's see your last wand," he ordered. She obediently handed it over. It was Percy's old wand.

"Bleuch! How old is this! A hand me down! Honestly girl, how do you even make magic with this?" 

She sighed. "My parents... were angry with me at first year. So they punished me with an old wand." She hoped he would fall for it.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Grunting, he said, "Odd punishment," She simply shrugged.

She curiously looked over the store as he kept up with the interrogation. The store was not that big, but very dark and musky. Some dark lumps - which she assumed were once sofas - lined one wall. A big window was to her back, heavy shades drawn against them. Opposite the sofas were stacks and stacks of wands.

"Come from a dark family or a light family?" sensing her hesitation, he added gruffly, "What is said here stays here, kid,"

"Light family for eons." He sniffed at this.

"What about you? Into dark arts?"

She flinched. "Well, you see-"

"You've already had an encounter with a powerful dark wizard? Yes, I can tell. And don't tell me, you're trying to embrace the darkness to help you friends?"

Ginny blinked in surprise. "Um, actually, yes." He grunted again. Ginny continued. "So, yes, I'm going to try and dabble in the dark arts. Just to help my friends, though," she added hurriedly. It was creepy how old people were so intuitive. 

"Of course, " he replied knowingly. "Stay right there. Got a wand for ya."

He hobbled over to the back room, and returned with a silver case. He opened the case and laid it on the counter. Amidst lush red velvet lay a roan wand.

He picked it up, and began handling it surprise flexibility for his gnarled hands. "Mahogany," he said proudly. "10 3/4 inches. Made it myself. Experimental core, though. Very reactive and volatile in the hands of them unbalanced wizards. It joins the essences of dark and light together."

She looked at him questioningly. "And you think I can handle it?"

He snorted. "Now don't be getting all smart on me. You're from a light family, yet you're trying out dark magic. This wand contains the essence of lethifold wrapped around a hair from the mane of an unicorn."

She gaped at him. "But that could kill me!"

"Not if you yourself are balanced. Besides, I wouldn't be giving this to you if you were just a light witch, or just dark." He explained this all as if he was talking to little child. "Now, _will you just try the bloody wand!_ I no longer have the patience that I had in my youth."

She stared at him. Patience during youth? Shrugging, she hesitantly reached out for the wand.

What she expected was _not_ what she got. Not the ordinary sparkles.

As she gripped it, she felt tremendous forces flowing through out her. Just when a black haze threatened to take her over, she saw in her mind a bursting white light, and immediately reached out for it. 

_Not if you yourself are balanced. Besides, I wouldn't be giving this to you if you were just a light witch, or just dark._

Remembering his words, while still grasping onto the light, she reached for the dark.

Something like an electrical bolt shook her entire body. Then, a cool feeling - like a blanket - fell over her.

Suddenly she could see. Out of the wand in her hand flew a shower of dazzling silver and red sparks. She stared in wonder.

"I did it!" she yelled.

"Yes, yes, nothing to be _that_ proud of," Gregorovic grumbled. But Ginny had already seen the tugging at the corner of his lips.

"How much?" she asked, glowing.

"15 galleons." Seeing the look of shock in her face, he added, "What, you think it was some easy feat to make this stupid wand? I had to labour for days!"

She dug into her pouch and reluctantly gave up her hard earned money. 

Thanking him, she walked out the door and into the cold sunlight.

A smile threatened to escape. Whatever had happened today, she knew that it was the beginning of a whole other experience for her - the feeling of darkness and light combined - it was _peaceful_.

She had finally fought the part of her she had always tried to keep buried - the part that had belonged to Tom. Now, the two parts of her - the old innocence and the new darkness - were finally unified. 

@à------------------------------------------------à@ß--------------------------------------------------ß@

**A/N II: **People _reviewed! You guys are wicked awesome! :D Ya'll made my day, you did. Here's a big hug 4 u eight! But seriously, thanks, every author needs her.. erm.. reviewer? By the way, people here have such _cool_ names!_

To my first reviewer (you are wicked cool!), **Princess of Mordor_, (loved the name!), hey, thanks, I'll try my best, though as you've noticed, it's rather slow going.. lol.._**

**Chaucer**: You guys are so nice! Hey, I live to please the readers.. ^-^

**Crystal**: Thanks! Hehe, once again, I'm not exactly the fastest keeper-upper.. but I'll try my best! ;)

**Black Crystal Dragon**: Yes, you're right. I changed the summary to t/g also. The main relationship (not necessarily romantic) is the one between Draco and Ginny, so that's why I had only that one up. The T/g in the story lead to it. Anyway, thanks for the comments! I try writing well (too many good fanficccers out here not too). ;)

**Elentari**: Ah, my favourite-est person on the whole wide hemisphere below the equator. LoL. Sorry, I would've told you I posted this fic, but you being an esteemed fanfic writer and all, I felt meek and humble in comparison. :P Joking, I'm loads better than you! (Joking again...) Yes, yes, I am going on with the task. Slowly but steadily! After all those computer problems, I'm starting to lack in faith, lol...

**You-Know-Who:** Yeah, the Lucius thing turned out humorous. Not intentionally, though. Heh. Don't worry, I'll try to have some 'snogging'. I mean, come on, what's my title??

**Mz. C**: thnx.. I'll try to make it longer.. but, eh, take into the writer's block 

factor.. and laziness... :$

**Darkening Sky:** Thanks for the review! I appreciate it. Your review, since it was the latest, is probably the one that got me to finish this bloody chapter. Lol. 

Also, much to my chagrin, I realize that it's been _so long that many of you have changed your pen names. Aha. :$ I apologize if I got your former names. _

Anyway guys, please DO NOT hold back on criticism. I'm really trying not to make this the typical Ginny-turned-evil fic. You know what I mean, right? I mean, ok, yes, the new wand thing is corny, but at least it wasn't like this three thousand year old wand that had belonged to some goddess. Why am I mocking that; I read some fics like that. Aha. :$ I'm just trying to keep it real - portray Ginny's descent into the world (pretend that is in apostrophes, some reason my comp doesn't let me write them separately) of darkness. I am trying to show Ginny as older and colder, but still _human_. A lot of authors seem to forget the caring side when writing fics like mine. 

So, bring on the raves, reviews, flames, whatever! Feed back is muchly appreciated. Any suggestions are welcome. I am very open minded. =D

Hopefully, next chapter will have the crew at Hogwarts. I'm also trying to drag myself out of this slow transition/introduction thing. Don't worry, I absolutely _promise_ that it will be much more timely. If I have some reviews, of course. ;) Tell me what you want to see in this fic, and I will try and obey. J


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